EC likely to announce Bihar Assembly poll schedule 'within few days'

New Delhi: The Election Commission is likely to announce the schedule of the high-voltage Bihar Assembly polls later this week or early next week. Sources in the poll panel said the schedule is likely to be announced later this week. If not this week, the schedule could be announced "early" next week.

From the day of the announcement to the first notification, EC usually keeps a gap of three weeks. But the gap could also be four weeks -- which is the outer limit.

While there was no word on the number of phases, sources said much would depend on the availability of central forces. EC feels that since Bihar is a 'stand alone' election, force availability would not be a problem.

The term of the 243-member Bihar Assembly comes to an end on November 29.

After ruling the state for ten years, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is seeking a third term this time in alliance with RJD and Congress after he walked out of NDA in June, 2013 snapping 17-year-old ties with BJP.

BJP, which had almost swept the state in the Lok Sabha polls in alliance with Ram Vilas Paswan's LJP and Upendra Kushwaha's RLSP, is hoping to repeat its performance and slamming Kumar for aligning with Lalu Prasad, a convict in fodder scam case.